David Bloom's Last Report

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He was devoted to his wife and children, he was admired, he gave every ounce of his being for those whom he cared most about - not himself, but God and his family.

The night before David Bloom died of a pulmonary embolism, he sent his wife Melanie an e-mail that, in hindsight, seems to have foreshadowed his death. At his funeral April 16, 2003 at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral, David's brother John read the last message David sent home:

"I hope and pray all my guys get out of this in one piece, but I'll tell you, Mel, I am at peace. Here I am, supposedly at the peak of professional success, but I could, frankly, care less. It's nothing compared to my relationship with you and the girls and Jesus."

A recent convert to Catholicism, Bloom's religion played a central part in his life. He was worried about the safety of his crew and the troops with whom he traveled. He was also in constant discomfort, suffering from the extreme temperatures, sandstorms and from leg pain brought on by days and nights he spent in a cramped position in a tank. But in his last hours it was his family and God whom he thought about. A few miles from Baghdad, he sent his final battlefield dispatch to his three daughters and Melanie.

He did not know he was to die soon, nonetheless David told his family, "When the moment comes in my life when you are talking about my last days, I am determined that you and others will say -- he was devoted to his wife and children, he was admired, he gave every ounce of his being for those whom he cared most about -- not himself, but God and his family."

Although he was a competitive journalist, his family and Jesus meant more to Bloom than the biggest scoop, the highest rating, or most prestigious award. He was remembered by those who know him as a man who called everyone "Buddy" and as a genuinely nice guy.

Bloom was born in Edina, Minnesota and attended Pitzer College in Claremont, California where he was national debate champion. His battlefield broadcasts gave millions of viewers a soldier's view of war. According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bloom, Bloom considered his most passionate role that of the family man, and was survived by his wife, Melanie, and three daughters: Nicole, Christine, and Ava.

If you wish make to make a donation on David's behalf, you can either contribute to a trust established by David's friends for the benefit of his three daughters or, at the family's request, you can make donations in his memory to "Convent of the Sacred Heart", the school attended by the Bloom children.